At the peak of my summer holidays, I think it's pretty safe to say that I haven't missed uni that much... but I have missed painting and making things every day :( I have my sketch book and my tool kit with everything I need lying in my house, but its just not the same as painting huge scale theatre sets every day. Or oogling over a designers costume designs, and getting to be the lucky soul that makes the paper version into a real life costume :) So I decided to get wee Jan (my sewing machine) out for a whirl and finally get round to mending and altering the clothes in my wardrobe that were annoying me. Mostly rushed bought sale items that I thought 'uch I'll fix that later', but these bargain buys have then sat for weeks in my wardrobe with the tags still on! So I thought I'd be all fancy/A GREAT BIG POSER and show you the final results :) as I am a complete tit and didn't do a 'before' shot - doh! I'll try my best to explain anyways.

Okay so first up is a dress from a gorgeous vintage shop in glasgow called Mister Bens. I bought this original 80's tulip dress for about £25 quid a couple of years ago. It was too big, too long, and looked plain awful on... but persistant me saw some potential with the gorgeous pastel 80's print and I swore I would bring it back to life one day! So, I chopped the straps off and made it strapless, as you can see. I took it up about 10 inches (seriously!) and hemmed the bottom. Next, I put a dart in either side under the arm as the elasticated bust has loosened over the years and would be too fiddly to replace. I also nipped it in at the back aswell so it has a teeny wee pleat that adds to that overall shortened tulip, or 'babydoll' shape. You can't see here but it's about down to my knees! Complete with my Raybans, I think this 80's classic has been given a new life and will be hitting the beach in Portugal next week :)

Now, this one is just a wee alteration but its such a pretty dress so I thought I would post a picture anyways! This is from New Look, the straps were too long and it made my bust all baggy so I chopped and shortened them by about half an inch then resew them back onto the top. Lovely!

Would you believe that this top used to be about a third longer than this picture and is a size 14? Im normally a 10-12 so this was too big for me unfortunately, but it was in the Topshop sale for £12 so I couldn't resist. But again, it was so huge :( I didn't know what I was gonna do with it. But I just ended up taking a whopping 12 inches off the bottom and hemming it. So rather than being an oversized night dress looking thing, its now shorter but still baggy but I think it looks okay :) yeah? Fits into that whole kinda oversized long tshirt thing we got goin' on!

Again, this is just a wee mend but such a pretty top! I never really go for one shouldered tops as it makes my tattoos on my chest look odd. But I really liked this one. Topshop sale again, £12 but it was burst right on the shoulder so I mended it without loosing too much fabric, and its still kept its shape so I'm happy.

This little floral number was£9.99 in the sale at New Look! Reduced from like £26. It used to be a dress! And looked horrible super long :( So I took it up, hemmed it, and made it into a funky little tshirt. Much better :) Can't wait to pair this up with a boyfriend cardi, denim skirt, grey wooly tights and my uggs! Cuuute.

Haha, excuse the state of me in this last picture. In fact, in all of them! Its a sunday night and I'm just home from a little pub called the Fox and Hounds in a local village near mine, it has a beer festival every year and tonight me and Jenn went for a couple hours and enjoyed some Shandies in a marquee in the rain :) So I was pretty tired when I got home,and after putting the kettle on for a cuppa I decided that it would be a good idea to do a blog before bed, beats me why :) So yeah this is my last alteration for the moment. This tee was in the Urban Outfitters sale for £15 reduced from £28 (why, why oh why do their lovely tshirts cost sooo bloody much) I nabbed it last year and then never wore it. I'm an idiot! The sleeves had wee turn ups on them and were just ugly. But I loved the quirky design on the front. So, excusing my fat arms I have turned it into a vest top! Didn't do a close up of the detail on around the arms, but I've done a double line of stitching to the raw fabric edge and left it unhemmed so it will rip/fray with time. Think this top suits a more rock chick finish ;)

Aswell as making my way through my list (see blog below this one) last week I was a busy little bee. I got my first ever smear test - ouch :( But it can save your life ladies, make sure you phone the docs and get one done as soon as you turn twenty! It's quite uncomfortable but I'm just a big wuss when it comes to stuff like that. I went to see Katy Perry on friday night and she was amazing :) Such a talented performer and singer, I love her style and her down to earth attitude, and I certainly have a girl crush! Haha. Also, my little sister Tyler started primary school this week. She is only 4, and still has short hair and looks like a boy, bless! Here is me, her, and my Little brother Aaron who is 2, in the playground on her first morning.

Such a shame it was raining, but that didn't dampen anyones mood! Look at how cheesing she is haha :) Half my family turned up to see her off. And my stepdads family. I was an only child for 15 years, my mum and dad broke up a long time ago but are still on amazing terms and I see my dad on a regular basis. My mum had one or two boyfriends while I was growing up. But you can imagine it was a bit of a shock to be told at 15 that her and my stepdad paul were having a baby! Then two years later, little Aaron came along too! They are totally crazy but so hilarious and loving and I wouldn't change them for the world.

See what I mean about her hair!? When I did facepainting professionally with my old job, I worked with loads of wee kids tylers age, especially little girls who always had lovely long hair! In bunches and all sorts. But hers has just never seemed to have grown haha. She is like a mini version of her dad (below) Makes me giggle :) It will grow with time of course.

This is my stepdad Paul, Tyler and my Mum just as were about to leave her to get settled into the classroom. A few kids were crying but she doesnt seem upset at all! She was fine. I think those cheeky wee eyes darting to the side and not even noticing me take a picture show that she was just eager to play with all the other children and get us boring old farts to pee off! This was my primary school too, being back there really gave me a burst of nostalgia in remembering my first day. Crazy how time flies eh? Well this has been a mega post, but I hope the DIY pics have been of some interest, and the first day at school pics of my sis have made a few folk smile and get all nostagic :)

Well ladies (and my boyfriend, who sometimes reads my blogs) I have been awarded the Lemonade Stand Award by Amanda (Say It) This is the first blog award I've ever been given, and it makes blogging all the more fun to know that people actually read it and can relate to what im ranting/smiling/inspired about. High five! :) So yeah, in no particular order I am tagging my fave top 12 blogs at the moment. A bunch of quite AWESOME girlies. Many thanks to Madison for showing me how to do links to peoples blogs, my computer skillz are pretty rubbish :)
1. Blog Me Famous
2. LilyLovesLola
3. Say It
4. Reaching For The Stars
5. Gimmie Smoothies
6. Storm In A Teacup
7. Cupcakes and Cherries
8. Giggly Cupcake
9. Ohmakemeup
10. Whirly Gig For A Girly Pig
11. Tiny Twists and A Whole Load Of Makeup
12. The Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes
I am currently sitting writing this from my local library as my internet at home isnt working, and using the internet on my nokia is annoying as the screen is sooo small! Is it wrong that Im excited about coming off and looking through the discarded book sale before I head round to my grans for lunch? :) Anyhoo, last night in bed I wrote a list of things that I want to do before I go back to uni at the end of sept. I technically only have 3 weeks to do these things as Im going on hols for the first two weeks of september. Its not the most amazing or inspiring list, few bigger things and few bitty things but Im writing them on here so I actually move my ass and get them done! Did three already today :) And I'l edit my post as time goes on as I do the rest aswell. Here goes...
Phone bank about train fare transactions on my bank statement (thought scotrail had overcharged me, sorted now)
Phone Uncle Chris at the Citizens Theatre to chat about my 3rd year research project (did that this morning, he told me the man to contact at TAG for a chat and some info!)
Book into my mums salon for some pre holiday pampering (done, booked in for 7pm next thurs!)
Paint and revitalize all my grans beautiful (but a bit weather worn) garden gnomes
Clean out my room at my grans house and start redecoration action plan! (gonna move outa my mums and round to my grans for my final year of uni, will be much calmer living in my grans lovely big house than at my own toddler ridden crazy home :p Update - I've cleared out all my old stuff, now I've just gotta get my interior design head on and get decorating - how exciting)
Mend/sew/alter/DIY the clothes in my wardrobe that need fixing or some creative tlc! Getting my sewing machine out! (DONE, finally. So much fun, need to take some pics and post about it soon)
Fill out and send away dental form (I AM A STUDENT, fook paying for a check up man)
Set up a savings account (ISA, dunno what bank with though. Lloyds Tsb are cowboys! Need to start saving travelling funds for next summer)
Thats my list :) for anyone else that writes lists, then they know that other people may look at them and the random stuff it contains and be like wft? But honestly, writing lists and keeping a diary of EVERYTHING I'm getting upto keeps me right. I feel much more organised and less stressed and I feel like a better person when I keep on top of things! I only have 4 mins left on this comp now so I better go and get on with the rest of my day :) my wee sister started school yesterday, cute pics to follow soon!

These are some photographs I have found from all corners of the internet in the past week or so, that have been saved into my ever growing picture folder of 'random photos I like'. Most of them are animal related :) And I daresay you'll agree that its quite hard to look at each one and not want to smile a tiny wee bit inside? I do enjoy some beautiful photography, lomography, film stills, graphic design, typeography, illusatration and whatnot... Things you see that make you go 'ooooh, blimey', and feel all inspired inside. Staying inspired is something very important to me - Im studying within a creative industry and I get seriously depressed when I'm not painting/making things/looking at pretty things other people have made. So thats why each week I'm going to post some nice pictures that have made me smile, or made me want to jump around and do something creative. www.cuteoverload.com is the BEST website to go to when you feel a bit down and need cheering up. Have a look and you'll soon see why. It's not necessarily that 'creative' or 'inspiring' per se, but it never fails to make me go auwwww.

Can't wait till payday at the end of the month so I can buy a last final haul before my holiday. Gonna need the obvious things like suntan lotion, aftersun, and mini toiletries for our 2 week adventure. Will maybe take a cheeky wee visit to Mac and Topshop once I've sorted out everything for my case, just to make sure I've got everything I need ;) But I'm gonna be spending a lot of time relaxing and so I'm looking to buy a few good books to take with me to read. On ebay im watching a cheap copy of The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, I know the film is coming out soon so I was wanting to read the book before I saw it! Il probs head into waterstones and have a long wander about and see what catches my eye, but can anyone suggest some good reads that I could take with me? Also, I've heard mixed reviews between St Moritz Fake tan mousse, Famous Daves tanning mousse (or moisture tanner) and St Tropez fake tan intensifier (is it a gradual fake tan? or alternatively the St Tropez gradual tanner) If anyone has used either of these products and gives it the thumbs up, or thumbs down, I would appreciate if you could let me know :) Wanting to keep my tan topped up when I come back from Portugal.

Today I went to my mums salon and got the big blonde flash in my hair lightened and toned :) then I got a cheeky wee spray tan and came home, got into my jammies and the lovely jenn came round for a chat! In between our chats she went to her boyfriends for a couple hours for a different sorta chat... then came back just as I was finishing watching When Harry Met Sally. SUCH a good film. Why I havent I ever seen this before? I really thought I had but I didn't remember one bit of it. The best (and most famous) quote from it is this:

'I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible'

How lovely. Tomorow I am being awoken by Leah at 9.30am with some free Starbucks! She works at the one at Glasgow Airport near my house, and is coming round avec coffee to get changed and then were going into town for some shopping. Well, she will be shopping and I will be watching haha. My holidays soon + spending £50 in Mac last week= Ayden on her best behaviour! Then I'm meeting my boy and were going for lunch and to get him his Fred Perry shooooze. Since he got me my pink raybans for our anniversaire, ohhh yeahhh ;) Thursday, Im doing a runner job for a new tv series for channel four with the lady Jo Frost who is best known as the super nanny! This new series aims to address the parenting issues that are affecting families across the UK today. Should be good, wish me luck :) Glad I'm gonna be doing back to uni in sept saying that I have done at least one job during the summer actually related to my course. And its paid too so cannae complain.

Friday me and David are watching my little sis all day, thinking of hitting the Time Capsule again! (the most epic adventure swimming baths ever to have existed) I love swimming. Even though I only learnt how to swim properly on holiday last year, is that sad? Considering the fact I have surfed for many years, Im starting to think I was a bit more looney than sad haha. Then saturday I'm working in the cafe bar at uni, then sunday Im seeing me daddy! He has got me a present from his hols apparently! Will be a joke present knowing him. He is the coolest of the uncool.

Not much else to report, apart from my wee sister starting school next week (auwww) and going to see Katy Perry with Katrina next friday night. My summer has been quite spiffing so far. Maybe amongst all my adventures I should set some time to do some dissartation research? Hmm, I'll think about it :)